How to Set a Formal Dinner Table

There are many different options when it comes to setting a dinner table, but most importantly it depends on the situation or the occasion. This situation is for a formal dinner that you may have with friends or family. It is a fairly simple set-up that follows a few basic guidelines that help you to easily set an attractive dinner table. There are many alternatives that you can do to add or subtract to the table setting. But this set up seen in the picture is a fairly basic one that is extremely simple to add to. Like I stated above, the most important thing for setting a formal dinner table is the situation or the occasion. Picking your tablecloth, napkin, centerpiece, and dinnerware colors should be planned around what type of dinner you are having. If it is for Thanksgiving an obvious centerpiece would be something centered around the idea of Thanksgiving, the same goes for Christmas, and after that color patterns will follow. This Instructable is not about colors and decorations though, it is about how to set a simple dinner table for a formal event. This knowledge and creation alone will help to make a for a beautiful, elegant-looking table.

Step 1 Things Needed

The list of things needed again can vary on what type of dinner you will be having, but for this simple set up you will need the following:
-Dinner Plate
-Salad Plate
-Soup Bowl
-Teacup and Saucer
-Cloth Napkin
-Wine Glass
-Water Glass
-Salad Fork
-Dinner Fork
-Table Knife
-Soup Spoon
-Table Spoon

In another variation later in this Instructable you will also see the following added to this list:
-Bread Plate
-Butter Knife

For more formal dinners more things can be added such as:
-Wine Glass for White/Red Wine (There would then be two wine glasses)
-Dessert Fork
-Dessert Spoon
-Potential for more Silverware depending on what is being served.

Comments

[sunshiine]

Thanks for sharing! I love this!

[agis68]

this is what French people call savoir vivre!!!